Ben Simmons, as he does around this time every offseason, went viral over the weekend after clips surfaced of the three-time All-Star getting buckets in a pick-up setting alongside fellow NBA players Ja Morant, Aaron Gordon, Jaren Jackson, Trey Lyles, Darius Bazley, Brandon Boston Jr. and Sixers teammate Tyrese Maxey.
A lot of plays and talent at @ChrisJHoops runs 😳🔥 @JaMorant @BenSimmons25 @jarenjacksonjr @Double0AG @BazleyDarius @TyreseMaxey @bboston_ @TreyLyles pic.twitter.com/rcnWz4xXDc
— Swish Cultures (@swishcultures_) August 22, 2021
The 25-year-old looked plenty confident pulling up from long range, though draining threes in an empty gym in Los Angeles isn't the same as doing it in the playoffs or even in the regular season. Frustrated fans have surely grown weary of this pattern, tired of letting summer highlight reels fool them into thinking this might finally be the year that Simmons, after a lifetime of sweeping it under the rug, fixes his broken jumper.
So where do the Sixers stand now with Simmons, who bore the brunt of criticism for last season's playoff ouster at the hands of the fifth-seeded Hawks? It was reported earlier this month that Simmons has essentially ghosted the team that drafted him first overall in 2016, going radio silent amid trade rumors and a desired change of scenery. De facto GM Daryl Morey has fielded offers for the embattled point guard, though teams have largely balked at his exorbitant asking price (according to Paulo Uggetti of The Ringer, Philadelphia is seeking four first-round picks and an "All-Star-level player" in return). With trade talks at an impasse, it's believed the 6'11" Australian could be a holdout candidate with one NBA scout telling Uggetti they "wouldn't be surprised" if Simmons was a no-show for Sixers training camp next month.
A perennial All-Defensive talent with a knack for finding open teammates (career 7.7 assists per game), Simmons, for all his offensive flaws, still has plenty to offer, hence the interest shown by Golden State, Indiana, Minnesota, Portland, Sacramento, San Antonio and Toronto, among other suitors. That said, the Sixers aren't exactly selling high on Simmons, whose "lasting image" from 2021 is passing up an open dunk late in Philadelphia's season-ending loss to Atlanta in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference semis. "He's the boy who cried wolf, if crying wolf were shooting a three," writes Uggetti while noting that a whopping 88 percent of Simmons' field-goal attempts since debuting in 2017 have come from inside of 10 feet. "The skill is there; the application and development haven't been."
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